Friday, September 29, 1995 - Bonaire

Bonaire! We got up at five again, ate breakfast, raised the anchor, and took off. We didn't have to scrub the chain this time, because the bottom is clean sand. It was another beautiful day. We were able to motorsail nearly the entire way, and for an hour or so, we were able to turn off the engine and sail peacefully. Lovely! Reached Bonaire around noon and went to the Harbor Village Marina. We were lucky to get a slip, because there's a regatta coming up in a week or so, so the place is crowded. We have to leave the morning of the seventh, but in the meantime, it's good to be tied to a dock. We can go ashore any time we want to without climbing over big pipes. We have dockside electricity. It's only 15 amps, but it beats having to run the engine to cook. Unfortunately, Roy has discovered that the battery charger doesn't work, and the main bilge pump doesn't pump. So now he has two more projects. Just what he needed. When we were at the marina office, we forgot to ask about the restrooms and showers, and they forgot to tell us. The office is about the distance of two city blocks from the boat. Around three o'clock, I walked over there to find out where the restrooms and showers are. They told me, so I walked back to them, only to discover that the door to the women's room was locked. Back to the office. Oh yes, they'd forgotten to tell me. There was a $20 deposit required for the key. Back to the boat to get some money. Only had a 50-guilder note. Took that to the office. They said they didn't have any change, so they kept the whole thing. Anyway, I got the keys. And when I saw the restroom and showers, they were worth all the walking back and forth. Best we've had in years! Beautiful, large, tiled rooms, spotlessly clean, with three roomy shower stalls, plenty of pegs to hang our clothes on, and a nice big bench to sit on. We had asked about Customs when we first arrived. The woman in the office said she'd phone them and they'd come out to the boat, so we waited. And waited. I checked with her, and she said she hadn't phoned yet, but she'd do so right away. We waited. And waited. It was four o'clock, and they still hadn't phoned, so I walked downtown. Both Customs and Immigration were closed, so all our efforts to get here on a weekday were in vain. It wasn't a wasted trip, though, because I was able to get some much-needed cash from an ATM. The communications lines are now functioning, at least between Bonaire and the U.S. I also found an excellent supermarket. Best since Aruba. They have everything, including Parkay margarine, which we couldn't get at all in Cura‡ao, and our favorite oatmeal. The town itself is delightful. Small and clean, like a seaside resort town in the U.S. I bought a few groceries and headed back to the boat. In the meantime, Roy had put his bicycle together and was heading towards town, so we met en route. As soon as I got back, I enjoyed a long, blissful shower and shampoo in the nice, big shower room. I had suspected that we had been overcharged by a day, and when I checked the calendar, I knew we'd been overcharged, so now I have to get that straightened out.